Gentleman's carriage from a fascist fledgling.

[John Aero]

The following is another addition to my Stackton Tressel SIG project, to show more vintage light aeroplanes. The Klemm L 25 was to the German aviation scene, what the DH. Moth was to the British. It was a very lightly built, wooden and fabric monoplane with an excellent (though slow flying) performance as a trainer and sporting aircraft when fitted with a reasonable engine.

 

The clandestine, fledgling Luftwaffe soon found a use for it and this is the version fitted with a Hirth engine which Planet kitted as a 1/48th resin kit.

Some Klemm versions, mainly the L25 and L26 were also imported into Britain By Major E.F. Stephen the MD of S.T.Lea Ltd who had acquired the UK selling rights. There were quite a variation of engines fitted to the Klemm but the French Salmson AD.9 proved very successful.

 

Encouraged by the Klemm's popularity Major Stephen founded the British Klemm Aeroplane company at Hanworth to build a strengthened British version of the Klemm which could be ordered with either the Salmson or the much more common Pobjoy geared radial engine and they soon became known as the B.K. Swallow 1.  It is this version that I wanted to build.

 

I had not built a full resin kit before, so I thought that converting the Planet kit would be an interesting exercise.

 

 

Drawings of the Klemm family are a bit thin on the ground but I thought that the fuselage was too narrow at the top and it didn't fit too well, also most of the detail was inscribed and narrow but deep. the separate cockpit coaming did not fit too well either.

 

I decided to pack out the fuselage halves at the top with a strip of 1.5 mm wide plastic. and then raise the cockpit coaming with strips of plasticard under the side edges, This meant that the bulkheads provided did not fit but they only suited legless pilots as the layout was too cramped, so they too were discarded.

 

I decided that I would have the coaming removable so that a pilot could be fitted as and when required by my display purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coaming now fitted quite well onto the widened fuselage, so two gash pilots were volunteered to space the cockpit correctly, as I was going to fit my own cast resin British seats and cockpit details.

 

 

"When I said Engine off approach and landing I meant SWITCH OFF"

 

 

Then a quick check to see that everything else would fit.  I spent some time with the wing to fuselage join.

 

 

The tail group are pinned with soft iron florists wire prior to gluing later. Now I could start the Swallow conversion which meant reshaping the nose.  Using the Soft iron wire pinning means that prior to the glue setting tiny adjustments to the angles can be made if needed.

 

The Swallow 1. was later developed by BK's successor British Aircraft into the very angular Swallow 2 and here is a work in progress photo of both of them. The Swallow 2 will feature in it's own post later.  The Swallow 2 was started by my good friend Gordon Short as a set of simple vacuum formed parts, from which he then fabricated three fuselage sets for Alan, himself and me . I decided to carve a set of Bass wood wings so I could reproduce the  Swallow 2 in resin for the group. More anon.

 

 

 

 

[CarLos]

Good to see really interesting aircraft here! Watching with interest.

 

Carlos

[stevehnz]

Nice looking work John, your caption under the pilots made me chuckle. Will the Swallow 2 be a Pobjoy engined one? I have read that Harry Wigley of Mt Cook Airlines fame flew one in his early years, so there is a Kiwi connection there.

Steve.

[John Aero]

Yes, the Swallow 2 will have a Pobjoy.  I mastered and cast a few for another build to boor you with later, my Comper Swift's.  I hadn't decided which engine to fit onto the Swallow 1, either a Salmson or a Pobjoy but I think that it's going to be this machine with a Salmson, reproduced here from a very old Aeroplane magazine. Just love the passenger head gear. It was I believe in a standard BK Blue with Silver wings as was the prototype BK Eagle.

 

"I say old boy, what's the VNE for a Bowler hat?"

 

(Velocity Never Exceed)

 

[Col.]

Glad I clicked into this thread now, although the title did draw me in, nice work so far John.

[John Aero]

To reshape the nose I glued a block of Basswood into place and carved and sanded to the new shape. This in turn was treated to a few coats of model aircraft sanding sealer. This can be found in most flying model supply shops. It dries very quickly and sands to a silky finish. It's very similar to the old Banana Oil and talc, I used to use.  Basswood, which is available from sources such as Hobbies, normally has very little grain and it carves and files easily in any direction. However use only new knife blades. I find English Lime superior but it's not so easily available in small quantities.

 

 

The basic shape is now close.

 

 

[perdu]

Poor old Hoskins, it was always his fault...

 

John I am going to enjoy every moment of this/these, learning every step of the way

[John Aero]

Another Quick 'tack together' so one can make suitable engine noises around the studio...

 

 

 

And on with some coats of Halfords rattle can White primer. No finesse here gentlemen this is a Fun buggy build...

 

 

 

I couldn't resist trying the Pobjoy on the front and those are my rubber tired, cast metal wheels which will replace the kit ones. The Swallow 1 could have the high pressure type as shown, or the Goodyear or Dunlop Fatties, balloon tyres. The seats are not to convert it into a Charabanc.

[John Aero]

The original Klemm cockpits were varnished ply but I feel that the BK ones would have been light Grey. Having left the option of the removable coaming and the wing still just clips into place I can sort out the cockpit at leisure .  I have filled and rib taped the wing and aileron detail with my White acrylic ink applied with a bow pen, but I forgot to photograph this stage.   Here I 've blasted the fuselage with a coat of Halfords Ford Wedgwood Blue and the wingy things Aluminium. I think that the fuselage letters may well have been Silver, but they will come at a later stage after a bit more fettling was carried out.

 

 

 

[kev67]

Looking very impressive John, good to see you at Telford anyway

[Pete in Lincs]

Simply splendid, old chap. Perhaps the chap in the bowler was an old aquaintance of Hoskins, his Uncle Roger. 

[John Aero]

It's now starting to look like the aeroplane I wanted to build. The Bowler hat photo had me worried that  the wings might have the leading edge to the rear spar in the fuselage colour, which was common on a number of Klemm's, but I've found a photo from the rear which shows the wing was all Silver.

 

 

 

 

The next step will be the interior, Under-carriage and the details.

 

 

[clive_t]

Arrived a bit late to this, but it looks an interesting subject with a decent injection of amusement in the telling of the story. I don't envy you the resin parts though, I've only ever done one resin kit and that was trauma enough for me!

[AdrianMF]

It’s looking very smart in the blue and silver!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Needless to say, a pleasure to watch your talent at play.

The title had me confused for a while, but I see that you are in the right path.

Excellent modeling, John, and elegantly shaped (literally) subject.

 

 

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Did you get any further with this @John Aero? ‘CMZ was a Sywell based machine and I have the Huma Kit to build 

[Supertom]

I'll have to remember to wear my glasses. I thought the title was "gentlemans sausage from a fascist fledgling." It's looking brilliant, by the way. The model, I mean. Not your gentleman's sausage.

[k5054nz]

That blue is so pleasing! I hope John is able to update us as that was a great read and very interesting.